Cartoon – Politics Plus

Personal Update December 31, 2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:02 am Politics

Dec 312023

Well, yesterday’s opera was a re-run – of a performance from 1952. It was selected because two – actually three, but the third is lesser known today – of the stars were born in 1923, so would, had they lived, been 100 this year. (Another of the stars, also lesser known today, died this year a month before her 99th birthday. ( No, the Met never throws anything out – and that’s a good thing IMO. Not that I don’t emulate it too slavishly myself.) Le Nozze de Figaro (usually translated “The Marriage of Figaro,” but “Figaro’s Wedding” would be more accurate) is exceptionally complex – certainly at least the first time one sees it one would benefit from a scorecard to keep track of who is seducing (or trying to seduce) whom. To me the highlight, at least for humor, is when this elderly lady is demanding Figaro marry her instead of Susanna because the terms of her lending him money included that he would marry her if he couldn’t pay. He gets out of it only because a birthmark proves she is his mother. That’s funny enough, but his fiancée, who has just raised the money, comes in just as he is hugging his mother, thinks the worst, and slaps him. The dialogue changes to “And this is my mother, she says so herself, she says so herself. And this is my father, he says so himself, he says so himself,” with just the right number of repeats to make it funnier and funnier. But there is plenty more to stimulate snickers and actual laughs. It’s all fun and games – unless you remember how much life and death power aristocrats actually had over their households – and even that kind of adds to the fun as the servants get the last laugh. Pierre Beaumarchais wrote three “Figaro” plays, and all three have been made into operas by different composers – I believe all more than once. But the two which have lived and the one which I hope will were all by different composers – first by Mozart with the second play, secondly by Rossini with the first play, and finally, the third by John Corigliano with the third play and his own touches (it’s weird – but it aputres the spirits of the Figaros and the Almavivas perfectly.

But enough of Count Almaviva. Let’s move to out own American Count, The Count. He has a timely message.

Personal Update December 7, 2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 1:36 pm Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Dec 072023

I missed a positive story last week, and am just picking it up today. The Colorado state Peace Officers Standards and Training board has voted, unanimously and without debate, to strike the controversial diagnosis “excited delirium” from all training documents starting in January. Yes, this is a move which is long overdue – and is srill long overdue nationally (although every state which does the right thingh helps) – the whole idea is not just a dog whistle but an extremely loud one – and eliminating it will certainly not replace the injustice of the treatment of Elijah McClain’s killers (five were charged, three have been tried of whom two were acquitted and one convicted of a lesser offense, two – both EMTs – are yet to be tried.) But it is one small gleam of light in a far too big darkness.

Here are two cartoons about Pearl Harbor Day, both drawn from a column filled with them – here’s the link if you can handle the rest of them.

Open Thread October 29, 2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:05 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Oct 292023

Yesterday, the radio opera was “Le Comte Ory” by Giacchino Rossini (I could be wrong, but I always figured “Giacchino” was a diminutive of “Giacomo”, which, if so, would make him “Jimmy.” But names translate unpredictably.) You may be wondering why an Italian composer wrote an opera which is obviously in French. And the obvious answer is that he was attempting to build an international reputation, as did many Italian composers in the 19th century. My guess on this one is that it may have been a bit too risque for Italy. It’a about a young count, young enough not to have been expected to go fight in the crusades, who spends the opera doing his durnedest to seduce the faithful wife of another noble who did go off to fight in the crusades. She’s not interested, at least not in him – his page (a “trouser role”) does catch her eye. The count does manage, in Act II, to get into her castle by dressing (himself and all his knights) as nuns (supposedly seeking refuge from horny knights.) He even, in the final scene, gets into her bedroom (and her bed) by faking being terrified, as one does (in Hallowe’en movies.) But the page is there too. I can imagine all kinds of suggestive stage business for this scene – but have never seen any, as modern American audiences are not much like 19th century French ones. In any case – Rossini never let anyone down musically – and that includes Bugs Bunny and the Lone Ranger.

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Short Takes –

Atlanta Black Star – ‘I’m Just In Shock!’:Chaos Erupts on School Bus As Two Florida Moms Tussle Over a Toy While Children ‘Cower In Fear’
Quote – As the bus pulled up to the stop on Parkland Circle and U.S. 192, the parents could hear the youngsters going back and forth. Instead of de-escalating the conflict between the children, the video shows the two moms taking it to the next level, forcing their way onto the bus to where the kids are seated. The clip shows the women, whom authorities have not named, throwing fists at each other and boxing each other in the aisle and then later on the blue seats. The students scream loudly, with one child saying, “Mommy, no!” A bus attendant was seen making the students get out of the way and move toward the back of the bus. At the same time, the bus driver and another adult attempted to separate the women. The fight was brutal, with footage showing one of the “ladies” being placed in a headlock. The altercation lasted for approximately 15 minutes.
Click through for full story. Of course, it’s tempting to sggest the whole story is in the word “Florida” – but I’m thinking the wors “Karen” is more to the point – and they are everywhere (and all genders.) And these are the “Won’t somebody think of the children” creeps.

The Root – Sacramento Police Mistake an 8-Year-Old Black Boy for a Teenage Felon?!
Quote – The latest example occurred two weeks ago, when Shanice Stewart, a pregnant Black woman, was driving her 8-year-old son Brandon to football practice late in the afternoon, according to KCRA. Then out of nowhere, Sacramento police officers pulled them over, asking her to throw her keys out of the window and exit the car slowly with her hands in the air. KCRA reported that it wasn’t because Stewart made a lane violation or her tags were out of date. It’s because they thought that her 8-year-old son fit the description of a suspect who’s wanted on two felonies, one being gun possession.
Click through for details, including the detail that Mom is pregnant. I hope she doesn’t miscarry… but,, if she does, I hope she sues them hard (and in any case, I hope she wins therapy costs). A six-year age difference – well, I’m 78, and I would not be hurt to be mistaken for 84. But generally, the difference between 8 and 14 involves puberty. So much is wrong here – not the least being the difference between equality and equity. And don’t even get me started on qualified immunity.

Food For Thought
manly

Open Thread October 28, 2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:03 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Oct 282023

Yesterday, the mass shooting in Maine reached some other news outlets, including Wonkette. I heard about it a couple of days ago from Joyce Vance. I wanted more detail before passing it on, but her take did inspire me to make today’s cartoon, and bump a different one (which I hadn’t finished anyway). Also, I received the email that my ballot has been counted. I can now display the “I voted” sticker, which was thoughtfully included in the envelope with the blank ballot. And I came across today’s Food for Thought, which is clearly a Public Service Announcement, so by all means pass it on.

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Short Takes –

Wonkette (Substack) – Search Continues For Whichever Antifa Biden Lib Forced Maine Shooter To Pretend To Be A Right-Winger
Quote – America is picking its way through the aftermath of yet another mass shooting, this time in Lewiston, Maine, where at least 18 people died and at least 13 others were wounded … when another previously law abiding gun owner stopped abiding the law and shot up a bowling alley and a restaurant. The reported casualty numbers … have varied widely, and may well rise. The suspected shooter is still at large as we write this, as law enforcement from all over join in searching for the shooter or perhaps his body and cable news fills time with expert opinion. People in the area have been told to shelter in place until the shooter is found. Businesses and schools are closed in Lewiston and several other locations around the state.
Click through for details – not that they aren’t much like every other details from every other mass shooting ever. Only the names and the numbers seem to change.

The Root – Freddie Krueger Who? Karen is the Real Face of Terror For Black America
Quote – In a world where law enforcement violence against Black Americans is far too common, where stereotypes still abound, the true face of terror is not Chucky or the Nun. It’s Karen…. Doesn’t matter if the Black person in question is a man or a woman. Doesn’t matter if they are strong or weak. Doesn’t matter if they are an adult or a child. Karen can get them. She can still drag them to hell.
Click through for story. Heaven knows people of any hue can find Karens annoying. But white people tend not to think of them as weapons of war. We need to look harder – and deeper. This goes back at leeast to the antebellum south and the character of “Miss Ann.” And it has been, and still can be, deadly.

Food For Thought

Open Thread October 27, 2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:00 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Oct 272023

Yesterday, I was reminded that crazy isn’t always a bad thing. Sure, there’s crazy like Republcans – and that is always bad. But there’s also crazy like your batty old Hungarian vampire Granny, which is – delightful (and especially to raise money for a good cause.) I never tire of good crazy. Is everyone ready for Hallowe’en? I hope everyone will have a lot of fun. Everything doesn’t always have to be fun – but like with no fun at all really isn’t worth living.

Also yesterdayI got the email telling me my ballot has been received. About d*** time. If I hadn’t received that today, i was going to look into a replacement ballot – since it was mailed more than a week ago.

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Short Takes –

Robert Reich – The real reason Biden isn’t getting credit
Quote – One theory is that Trump and Fox News have poisoned their minds…. Which brings me to the second theory about why Biden isn’t getting credit: Biden is terrible at “messaging.”… His speeches aren’t electrifying, to be sure. But he says what needs to be said. He’s truthful. He doesn’t exaggerate. He’s compassionate…. This raises a third theory: Biden doesn’t communicate in ways that today’s media and much of the public are able to hear. I think there’s a lot to this.
Click through for full opinion. Biden probably cannot, and certainly should not, attempt to change his own style, IMO. But his “surrogates” – withpoout pressuring rational people to adopt an emotional style, it’s probably possible to bring on some “surrogate” who already have an emotional style, who are not afraid to use it, and who can send an emotional message. (In this connection, today is the day I’m sharing the last version of the emotional cartoon I’ve been working on, and I hope to get feedback on which packs the biggest punch (or whether combining elements from more than one would pack a bigger one.)

The Good in Us – The Quiet One
Quote – Also, because there is literally no such thing as a moderate Republican in Congress, it would have to be either be an extremist or an ultra-extremist. Once Republicans made it clear that having voted to certify the 2020 election was disqualifying (Tom Emmer, we hardly knew you), it would have to be the latter. Besides, Johnson looks and acts the part—he’s a bespectacled, suit-jacketed, quiet, and respectful back-bencher who, according to The New York Times, has a “gentle style.”… And suddenly having a Speaker of the House feels infinitely worse and more dangerous than not having one.
Click through for details. Mary Trump has done the deep dive into Mike Johnson so that you and I don’t have to. Unfortunately, it isn’t pretty.

Food For Thought

Open Thread October 26, 2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:03 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Oct 262023

Yesterday, Mike Johnson was elected Speaker, ending 22 days of one kind of chaos (and probably beginning a slightly different kind.) I figured that out a couple of seconds before I saw the actual email announcing it – because a slightly later email (and I read down) announced that Colorado’s GOP delegation of three all supported him, and, as you know from yesterday (if you didn’t know it already,) our delegation contains 3 reps, none of whom plays well with others, including each other. I figured if they could all get it together, the whole GOP would be a cinch. Apparently that was a good bet. That doesn’t mean he will be a good Speaker, or even a minimally competent one. Andy Borowitz suggests that “Johnson Promises to Be Greatest Speaker of the Seventeenth Century.” (I note that that century includes the year 1609.) Also, I got an email from Pat, who is down in the dumps because her physical included a diagnosis of short term memory loss. She authorized me to share that, so I am. (She didn’t mention how severe they said it was. I certainly would nbnever have guessed.)

On the plus side, a late night email from Margaret Atwood came with a video – she promised all her subscribers a post-op tap dance. I wish I had ber energy!

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The Daily Beast – Trump Says Only Jesus Christ Could Be Elected House Speaker
Quote – Twenty days after Kevin McCarthy was ousted as speaker of the House—and with House Republicans once again starting from scratch to find a new leader—former President Donald Trump declared on Monday that there was just one candidate who could win enough support. “There’s only one person that can do it all the way,” Trump said before a New Hampshire rally. “You know who that is? Jesus Christ. If Jesus came down and said, ‘I want to be Speaker,’ he would do it. Other than that, I haven’t seen anybody that can guarantee it.”
Click through for details. Jesus Christ would not get a single vote. Democrats would not vote for him because we believe in church-state separation. Republicans would not vote for him because he is brown, he is woke, he does not speak English, and he was not born in America. Not. one. single. vote.

The 19th – U.S. Mint announces final 5 women as it finishes its quarters program in 2025
Quote – The program began in 2022 as a result of legislation introduced by Rep. Barbara Lee, a California Democrat. “I wanted to make sure that women would be honored, and their images and names be lifted up on our coins. I mean, it’s outrageous that we haven’t,” Lee said when the program was first unveiled in 2021. “Hopefully the public really delves into who these women were, because these women have made such a contribution to our country in so many ways.” Lee began drafting legislation on the coin program with help from Rosa Rios, the Treasury official who oversaw the United States Mint under former President Barack Obama. She introduced her bill, the Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act, with two Republicans, Reps. Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio and Deb Fischer of Nebraska. It was signed into law in 2020.
Click through for story. I don’t think I have handled cash since the start of the pandemic … so this went over my head. Which is a pity – because these are all remarkab;e and truly diverse women, and while I knew of some, I don’t think I knew as many as half.

Food For Thought

Open Thread October 25, 2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:10 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Oct 252023

Yesterday, Talking Points Memo shared a link to an opinion piece on what has happened to Ken Buck – a topic which has had my brain running around in circles for a few months. The explanation is not completely satisfying, but it’s the most convincing I have seen. If anyone else cares (and I certainly wouldn’t blame you if you don’t), here’s the link. It is on Substack so there will be a popup to click. Since this was from Substack, and I had noted two other Substack articles – all from very different -authors – I decided to just go ahead and use all of them on the same day. So do remember the popups, and that when the screen darkens slightly, you may have to scroll down.
And today Margaret Atwood is getting a pacemaker. I realize what I’m about to share may have limited interest (although many of us were interested, to put it mildly, in The Handmaid’s Tale) but if even one person is interested, I think I should share it, because my sharing is the only way you are going to find it. On September 30, Ms. Atwood joined the Theater of War at the Toronto International Festival of Authors for a program “Patient and Impatient Griselda” which included both a dramatic reading – with professional actors – of Boccacio’s story Patient Griselda, and then Ms. Atwood reading her own story Impatient Griselda, narrated to a group of humans in quarantine by an alien which looks like an octopus. A complete video is now available here. Ms. Atwood starts at 34:01 (and I’ve set the YouTube link to start there), and when she finishes there is a lengthy group discussion, you dont need to continue. In case you haven’t guessed, all this is in aid of a domestic violence project.
Finally, Tom Emmer dropped out of the race for Speaker barelly four hours after he won the nomination. He is the majority whip so at least has a tiny bit of experience – which is more than the rest of them do. Sigh. But by 8:30 mountain hehad been replaced by Mike Johnson.

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Short Takes –

Wonkette – Dollar General’s Creepy Pre-Employment Medical Exams Cost Them $1 Million
Quote – According to the lawsuit, the medical examination included the “taking of vital signs, the completion of a drug test, a vision test, a medical and health history questionnaire, a review of current medications, and a physical examination, including, in some instances, genital examination of job applicants.” It is hard to imagine what job, other than “porn star,” a genital examination might be necessary for, but God help us all if it’s “working at a Dollar General warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama.”
Click through for details. Creepy is certainly the mot juste. I can’t help wondering who they think they are. (The Dollar General stores are creepy to me, too

Robert Reich – Thirty years later
Quote – I was in the White House Rose Garden in September 1993, when Bill Clinton hosted the now iconic handshake between Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO leader Yasser Arafat after they signed the Israeli-PLO peace accord. We were so optimistic, 30 years ago. Coincidentally, last night I had a reunion with about 60 members of my top team at the Department of Labor to mark 30 years since we came together. They’d been assistant secretaries, deputy assistant secretaries, other political appointees, and senior career professionals.
Click through for article. They must have been quite a team. And yet – “we couldn’t stop the storm.” I know – I feel it too – it makes one want to wash one’s hands of the entire human race sometimes.

Food For Thought

Video Thread 10/24/23

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 12:04 pm Open Thread, Politics

Oct 242023

I have another day to fill in, and we are approaching month end, which means a recap will be coming up, and require yet another. Harry Litman is out and I can’t find out why. But this video is under 10 minutes and interesting (mostly), and I certainly hope DOJ wins this one.
Legal AF – FURIOUS DOJ THROW THE WHOLE BOOK at Trump Conspirators, LOCK THEM UP